Yet, I specifically avoided covering horror television series. The reason for this was that I (naively) didn't really think there were enough truly high-quality shows to warrant an extensive list. However, in the past four years certain things have changed: For one thing, horror on television within the past few years has improved noticeably. Also, I admit that my awareness of great horror television has broadened thanks in large part to working on The Vault all these years. And so the time came to revisit the concept.

As before, I enlisted the help of some of the best and brightest online horror writers/bloggers out there, the group once (inflammatorially) referred to as "The Cyber Horror Elite". Elite or not, these excellent thinkers and superfans were asked to send me their personal top 10 horror TV shows of all time. Only ongoing, regular series were eligible, meaning made-for-TV movies and miniseries were excluded (For the record, they were actually eligible for inclusion in the Greatest Horror Films of All Time list--only Salem's Lot made the cut.)

Once I received everybody's lists, I ranked them on a points system--ten points for a number-one choice, nine points for a number-two choice, etc. Then I compiled a master list of the top 25 scoring shows, which I now present to you.

So here it is--the Top 25 Horror TV Series of All Time, as voted on by the horror blogosphere:

More than with any other list, this time out, the number one choice was quite literally a mandate. Not only was The Twilight Zone included on nearly every single list submitted to me, it was at or near the very top, every time. As a result, it scored a full 50% higher than the second-place show, The X-Files, and was head and shoulders above the rest of the pack.

Speaking of X-Files, that show, along with the #3, Tales from the Crypt, and #4, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, received a general consensus as well, appearing on most of the lists submitted. After the top four, there was a noticeable drop-off as individuals' personal tastes came into play and a multitude of different series were selected. But it's worth noting that the group in general gave a very solid stamp of approval to those top four shows, which is not really all that surprising.

Decades Breakdown:

1990s: 9
1960s: 5
2000s: 5
1980s: 4
2010s: 4
1970s: 2
1950s: 1

In the event of shows airing in two different decades, I went with the one that contained the vast majority of the seasons (1990s for The X-Files, 1960s for Twilight Zone, etc.). Shows that were fairly evenly aired in two different decades were counted for both (Alfred Hitchcock Presents for both the 1950s and 1960s, Buffy the Vampire Slayer for both the 1990s and 2000s, etc.) It's very interesting to note that the most heavily represented decade is the 1990s, which was by far the least represented decade for horror films. I guess most of the best horror that decade was confined to the small screen!

In addition to the three syndicated shows, 13 of the shows were aired on broadcast TV, and 9 were cable programs. Certain programs were run on more than one network during their run, and so were counted for both.

Other Interesting Facts:

All shows were American productions, with the exception of Goosebumps (Canadian), as well as Are You Afraid of the Dark? and Friday the 13th: The Series, which were American/Canadian co-productions.

Five of the 25 shows on the list, or a full 20%, are currently still running on television (Dexter, True Blood, Walking Dead, Supernatural and American Horror Story). I'd say that says a lot about the current state of horror on TV. Either that or the importance of short-term memory.

Despite that last stat, only one of the top seven shows, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, was in production during the past decade. And five of the top ten shows aired more than 20 years ago, with the top five all airing at least a decade ago or more.

Six shows on the list ran for only two seasons or less. Some shows only get their due later...

Four of the top ten shows were aired on ABC.

The longest-running show on the list is the original Alfred Hitchcock Presents, which ran for 11 seasons.

As always, I'd be remiss if I didn't give credit to the many knowledgeable individuals who contributed their personal picks for this list. Thanks to you all!

Great feature! I'd add the UK zombie miniseries Dead Set to the list, but I don't know how many people have seen it. It's excellent. There's also the bizarre horror comedy Psychoville, also from the UK, which aired on Fearnet last year, but it doesn't appeal to everyone. The League of Gentlemen, an earlier comedy show by more or less the same team, also incorporated many horror elements.

I find it fascinating that The Twilight Zone, even though I myself chose it for #1, ranked at the top of list for horror TV shows when there were just a handful of episodes that superficially fit snugly into the genre... "The Howling Man," "The Dummy," "The New Exhibit," etc. Some could argue that it was more of a fantasy/SF series.

But I think it says something very important about horror (and I'll try not to sound too hoighty-toighty). TZ showed us that we didn't need hoary tropes like old castles or wandering spirits to truly exemplify terror. The true horror existed in some of the most unexpected places... space explorers being reclaimed by an invisible Force, children who disappear into another dimension, suburbanites who become vindictive monsters. It's the idea that this weird stuff can and will happen to these normal, everyday people at any given moment that makes the show truly unnerving. And that's what horror, the kind that shakes us and forces us to peer over our shoulders, really is.

Diandra, it's too bad no UK shows made the cut--I was surprised that Hammer's House of Horrors didn't make it. I guess the reason was that most contributors were American, and we didn't get a whole lot of UK horror stuff here on TV. It is worth mentioning that Dr. Who actually received a few votes.

Joe, it's true that TZ really explored horror in very unconventional ways. It was a true genre TV show in the grand tradition of the golden age of science fiction, which itself incorporated a lot of unorthodox horror elements.

Just with regards to what Steve said (which i completely agree with by the way): In the 1980`s re-do of The Twilight Zone (not a bad little show actually) it was great to see that image of Rod Serling on screen just for a couple of seconds at the beginning of each episode as a tribute to the long departed and undisputed supreme master of the genre.

Which horror film *should* be remade?

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I've been fascinated with horror ever since my parents let me watch The Exorcist at 8 years old (what were they thinking??) and I ran up to my bed screaming when Linda Blair's eyes rolled into the back of her head.Although it often gets a bad rap from "mainstream" critics and audiences alike, horror has often been the most creative and vibrant movie genre of all, from Nosferatu to Saw. Some of the finest motion pictures ever made are part of the horror genre, including Frankenstein, Psycho, The Shining and my personal all-time favorite, George Romero's Dawn of the Dead.This blog is the culmination of my 25-year love affair with all things blood and guts--so check back here often for news and opinion on the world of horror. And remember...